Tag Archives: movies

It’s that time of year when all of the really awesome movies come out. From the much anticipated Avengers: Infinity War to Solo: A Star Wars Story, if you are like most movie lovers, you want to see all of the big movies up on the screen.

But the thing you may not like are the ticket prices.

MoviePass – Not Such a Smart Investment

In the past, I promoted MoviePass as your way to save the most money when you go to the movies. But they made a big mistake last year when they decided to drop the membership price down to $10/month. While anyone can see this is an awesome deal, the movie theaters did not.

When I went to my local theater, the manager told me they no longer accepted MoviePass, even though the app listed the theater as a ‘participating’ theater. The reason why had more to do with the theater not getting the money and the business model of MoviePass did not allow mom and pop style theaters to survive.

It did not stop there. AMC 25 in New York City would not give me AMC Stubs credit for the movies I purchased using MoviePass. Then they started marking my ticket MP when I purchased tickets. I knew something was up.

A couple of months later, MoviePass released their new terms, which meant that all of the theaters that did not want to be part of MoviePass were taken off of the app and the theaters stopped taking MoviePass. While MoviePass would like to say that it was their decision to do that, it was the theaters that asked them (via a lawsuit) to be removed from their program.

Based on the news reports of MoviePass’s current financial situation, they are losing millions and unless they have a turnaround with investors, plan on this ‘good idea’ failing soon…as in, it won’t last the year. Most financial analysts give it 3 months max.

MoviePass should have kept the membership the way it was. It was the $10/month deal that pissed off the theaters and brought this ‘too good to be true’ deal to an untimely end. For those who still have MoviePass and can use it, enjoy it while it lasts.

Life After MoviePass

Knowing that AMC was going to lose a lot of their loyal moviegoers after many (not all) of the theaters stopped accepting MoviePass , they devised a new plan.

If you are an AMC Stubs member, you can now get movie tickets every Tuesday for $5. Becoming an AMC Stubs Premiere member has its rewards. For every dollar you spend, you receive 100 points. You can use those points towards movie tickets and concessions. The points add up very quickly.

Also, being an AMC Stubs Premiere member means you have VIP status. There are separate lines at the ticket counter and at concessions for Premiere members. That long line…I can’t tell you how many times I bypassed that line and was the next person served.

On days like Tuesdays, you are better off purchasing your $5 ticket directly through the AMC Theatres app, because even the VIP line becomes extremely long. Purchasing through the app means you go directly to the ticket taker. Show them your ticket on your device and you are on your way. [I like simplicity. And if you’ve been in NYC as long as I have, you really hate lines.]

So if you are looking to take your family of 4 to the movies, consider an AMC Stubs Premiere membership. Make Tuesdays movie night. Tickets for the four of you will cost $20. And always be on the lookout for concessions deals on the app or on their website. [For instance, right now, teens can get a Frostee + bag of popcorn for $5 when they show their student ID.]
[Note: There are two AMC Stubs memberships: Insider and Premiere. Insider is free, but not worth it. The Premiere membership is usually around $15/year, and they do sales on the membership often to entice you to keep renewing (as of this writing the membership is 20% off, i.e. $11.99). Premiere members get free passes to advanced movie screenings 3-6 times a year. They also have VIP status. Trust me when I say the VIP status is everything. You also earn points faster. 100 points for every dollar versus 20 points for every dollar spent as an Insider. Generally, I get my money back from the membership in a couple of months or less (if I go to the movies on a weekly basis). The Premiere membership is totally worth it.]

To Save Even More

Every now and again, Groupon and other discount sites offer movie gift certificates at a discounted price. When you see your movie chain being offered, purchase it!

The best way to make sure you get notifications for these special deals is to download the Groupon app or sign up online. I usually receive an email or a notification when these deals go live.

Also, check to see if your workplace offers perks like Plum Benefits or Perks at Work. These websites offer businesses special corporate discounts for many things, especially movie tickets. For sites like Perks at Work, you can earn WOW Points that can be used as currency towards future purchases.

For most movie chains that use apps, you can easily upload the gift certificate information to the app. That makes purchasing movie tickets so much easier.

Disney Movie Rewards

If you are not a Disney Movie Rewards member yet, sign up. I know most of you reading this will probably go to a Marvel or Star Wars movie. Disney owns the rights to both. So why not rack up points every time you go?

When you head to the movies, keep your ticket stub and upload it to Disney Movie Rewards to get points to use towards either Disney related merchandise or gift certificates for movie concessions, movie tickets or Starbucks.

For a family of 4, that’s around 300 points each time you go to a Disney/Marvel/Star Wars movie. Currently, it’s 550 points for a $5 concession certificate and 1100 points for a $10 movie certificate.

And don’t forget to read their email newsletter. They always give away a few free points in the newsletter every single month. Every point counts.

Also, as an added bonus, if you have a Regal Crown Card, you can connect your account to Disney Movie Rewards for extra points.

Go Local

For those who have access to local non-chain movie theaters, please go. Sure, it is not like the experience you will get from the big chain theaters, but they will offer cheaper prices.

For instance, my local movie theater only charges $8 for movie tickets. Concessions are half the price as the chain theater. Because I go so much, the manager usually comps tickets for me every now and again. If I’m the only person in the theater and I am late, he will restart the movie for me.

There are less previews and ads prior to the movie (usually only one preview and then the movie begins). One movie preview is so much better than sitting through 20 minutes of previews. Yes, the previews in the chain theaters run for 20 minutes now.

What I love about local movie theaters is that you are giving back to the community when you choose to go local. Not only are you saving money, but you are also keeping a neighborhood icon alive. Trust me, you will miss it when it closes down. That’s why you need to help keep these local businesses alive.

Movie Deals

Always check out your favorite movie theater’s website for deals. Many theaters do special family deals during the summer.

For instance, all summer long, participating Regal Cinemas theaters offer $1 movies at 10:00AM on the weekends. Most of the movies are already out on DVD or television, but this is a good way to get the kids out and into some air conditioning surrounded by other kids for a couple of hours.

There are a lot of movie chains all across America that offer these little programs. Just check their website. Some offer special ticket discounts on certain days. Others offer discounts on concessions.

I haven’t paid $16+ for a movie ticket in a very long time. I find every avenue I can to go at a cheap price. The discounts are out there. You just have to know where to look.

Every year, I try to see as many Oscar nominated films as I can, as well as catch up on all of those films my filmmaker friends are raving about that I haven’t seen yet.

For those wanting to run out and see as many of the films as possible, I’ve simplified the process for you a little bit. Here are the 62 films and where you can see them. Fortunately, many of these films are available to stream, while others are still in the movie theaters. There are a few that are not currently on the market and will be released to video or streaming after the Awards are over.Most movies that are in between theater and DVD release will be made available for streaming over the course of these next three weeks.

To simplify which movies are nominated, I’ve made an Excel spreadsheet you can print out to keep track of which movies you’ve seen.

If you want a detailed list by category, you can find that on the Academy Awards website. This list is for those who need a simplified version of all of the films nominated in alphabetical order and where you can find the movie. [NOTE: a few films are available directly online and the links are provided in the chart below.]

For those wanting the cheapest way to see all of the Best Picture nominations still in theaters, Regal Entertainment is hosting a film festival 2/17-2/26. Tix are $35. DETAILS.

Best Picture
Best Actor-Ryan Gosling
Best Actress-Emma Stone
Cinematography
Costume Design
Best Director
Film Editing
Best Original Score
Best Song-“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”; “City of Stars”
Production Design
Sound Editing
Sound Mixing
Best Original Screenplay

In Theaters.

Land of Mine

Best Foreign Film

In theaters; FandangoNow.

Life, Animated

Best Documentary

Amazon Prime.

Lion

Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor-Dev Patel
Best Supporting Actress-Nicole Kidman
Cinematography
Best Original Score
Best Adapted Screenplay

In theaters.

Loving

Best Actress-Ruth Negga

Available at Vudu; FandangoNow.

Manchester By the Sea

Best Picture
Best Actor-Casey Affleck
Best Supporting Actor-Lucas Hedges
Best Supporting Actress-Michelle Williams
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay

In Theaters and FandangoNow, Vudu, iTunes, and Google Play on 2/7/17.

Moana

Best Animated Feature
Best Song-“How Far I’ll Go”

Available to stream 2/21/17.

Moonlight

Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor-Mahershala Ali
Best Supporting Actress-Naomie Harris
Cinematography
Best Director
Film Editing
Best Original Score
Best Adapted Screenplay

For those looking for a list of scary movies to watch this Halloween season, why not try something new? In my research this past month, a friend of mine brought up the late actor Christopher Lee.

Lee is well known to many as being Saruman from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. Last year, on June 7, 2015, he died at the age of 93.

What many people do not know is that Lee’s career spans over 69 years. In that career, he was well known as playing the villain, mainly in scary movies. He’s played the creature from Frankenstein, Dracula (ten times), the mummy, Rasputin, Jekyll and Hyde, and many other characters of the occult.

If you are looking for a new scary movie binge, why not honor the late Christopher Lee by bingeing on his scary movies during the month of October? If you are an Amazon Prime member, these movies are available on Amazon Video for free as part of your membership. They are also available for rent on Amazon Video.

Here’s what I’ll be watching. Note that many films may have changed names.

For those who follow me on Twitter, I went through a bit of a Russell Crowe binge this past month. While I still have a few movies left to find (the earlier stuff from his pre-Hollywood days), I thought I’d share the actual binge with you…just in case you were interested in doing your own binge.

Here is the list of Crowe movies in order that I watched them.

Movie

Year

Notes

1

The Water Diviner

2014

This is Crowe’s directorial debut and probably one of the most powerful stories he has brought to the screen.

2

3:10 to Yuma

2007

Something you will start to notice in the Russell Crowe binge is that there are repeat offenders in his work. In this movie, Logan Lerman (“Noah”) and Kevin Durand (multiple films) are the repeat offenders. Crowe also has a bit of a bromance with Durand.

3

Broken City

2013

In a SNL skit in May 2016, Russell Crowe referenced his co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones’s husband’s (Michael Douglas) tongue cancer (a type of cancer that is ususally caused by HPV, transmitted by cunnilingus). Crowe ran with that in the skit.

4

A Beautiful Mind

2001

We start to see the beginning of the bond between repeat offenders Jennifer Connelly and her spouse, Paul Bettany, in Crowe’s films. This is the film where the two lovebirds met. Connelly won an Academy Award for best actress in a supporting role for this film.

5

A Good Year

2006

This is just one of a handful of collaborations Crowe will have with Ridley Scott. Also, later, Crowe’s connection with this wine film will lead to another good year for wine in the “Red Obsession” 8 years later.

6

Noah

2014

Repeat offenders Jennifer Connelly and Logan Lerman star with Crowe in this artistic rendition of the ancient tale of the Great Flood.

7

Gladiator

2000

The first collaboration between Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott. This movie earned 5 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor.

8

Heaven’s Burning

1997

This Australian movie is a bit Tarantino-esque. This was Crowe’s last Australian film before heading to Hollywood. It would be another 17 years before he would make another Australian film (“The Water Diviner”), which he also directed.

9

Fathers & Daughters

2015

Amanda Seyfried is the repeat offender in this film. She starred with Crowe in “Les Miserables.”

10

Proof of Life

2000

Of all the Crowe films, this film is the most difficult to stomach. It is because of what happened off screen. Meg Ryan, Hollywood’s darling, starred in this film post-Gladiator with Crowe. They started an affair, which led to her divorce from Dennis Quaid. She lost a lot of love from the public because of this. This movie was the beginning of her demise. She was rarely cast after this movie. She recently came out with the film “Ithaca,” making her directorial debut. Compared to Crowe, after this film, she has starred in only 10 films to Crowe’s 25 films in the same time period.

11

The Quick and the Dead

1995

This film was Crowe’s introduction into Hollywood. Repeat Offenders: Keith David (“The Nice Guys”) and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Body of Lies”).

This film displays Crowe’s acting talent at its finest. Of all the films he has made, this is the one he should have won an Oscar for. He was nominated for an Oscar for best actor, but that statue went to his “LA Confidential” co-star Kevin Spacey for “American Beauty.” “The Insider” received multiple nominations, but “American Beauty” dominated that year, and rightly so.

14

Robin Hood

2010

The bromance in this film is real. Scott Grimes and Kevin Durand (his “Mystery, Alaska” buddies) reunite in this film. These guys appear in a lot of films together. The bromance is real. Ridley Scott also directed this film. This is the most current of the collaborations between the two.

15

Winter’s Tale

2014

Continuing the “Robin Hood” bromance, both Kevin Durand and Scott Grimes make small appearances in this film. Jennifer Connelly also appears.

16

The Man With the Iron Fists

2012

RZA is the repeat offender in this film. RZA both directed, wrote and starred in this film. RZA appeared in “The Next Three Days” with Crowe.

17

State of Play

2009

18

The Nice Guys

2016

Probably one of the craziest films Crowe has ever made. He’s found a new bromance with Ryan Gosling. Gosling had Crowe breaking character and laughing so much, the director told Gosling that if he made Crowe laugh again, he would charge him $5 every time he broke character. Repeat Offenders: Kim Basinger and Keith David.

19

Les Miserables

2012

This is the first time the two Australian Hollywood powerhouses would star together in a film. Hugh Jackman takes the lead alongside Crowe for the first time. Many people did not know that Crowe is a singer. He has traveled around the world with his band over the last 20+ years and has a few albums out. This film would make Amanda Seyfried into a repeat offender. Anne Hathaway won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

20

Body of Lies

2008

Repeat Offender: Leonardo DiCaprio.

21

Master and Commander

2003

Repeat Offender: Paul Bettany. This bromance is one of the favorites among the public.

22

Man of Steel

2013

18 years prior to making this film, Crowe starred in “No Way Back” with the original Supergirl. Crowe has pitched the idea around in the media that he would like to reprise his role of Jor-El in a prequel.

23

American Gangster

2007

Another Ridley Scott film. The repeat offender is none other than Denzel Washington himself.

24

The Next Three Days

2010

RZA’s small role in this film with Crowe would lead to “The Man With the Iron Fists.”

25

The Republic of Doyle (3.1)

2012

The bromance reappears in this Canadian TV show. Crowe, Grimes and Durand star together in this episode. Stupidity ensues in the form of the Three Stooges.

26

Virtuousity

1995

Once upon a time, Crowe used to get naked in his movies. This is one of those films. This film also stars Denzel Washington. 12 years later, they would reunite in “American Gangster.”

27

Romper Stomper

1992

This is the movie that paved the way for Crowe into Hollywood and would explain why he was perfect for his role in “LA Confidential.” This film is very difficult to watch, so be forewarned. The neo-Nazi violence against Asians is tough to see. [I had to take a break from the binge because of how disturbed I was from the violence.]

28

The Silver Brumby (Stallion)

1993

This is one of the most beautiful and scenic movies you’ll ever see of Australia. Just breathtaking.

29

LA Confidential

1997

One of the most beloved and best movies ever made. Crowe’s role and his character’s anger is reminiscent of his role in “Romper Stomper.” You can see how perfect this role was for him. Kim Basinger would appear 19 years later in “The Nice Guys” as a repeat offender.

30

Red Obsession

2014

“A Good Year” is a great prelude to this film which discusses the wine industry, more importantly the wine industry in China. This film is not listed in Crowe’s IMDb. He is the narrator of this film.

31

Bra Boys

2007

This film is not listed in Crowe’s IMDb. He appears as the narrator in this documentary of the Bra Boys in Australia.

32

Tenderness

2009

This is one of the strangest films ever, especially for Crowe. [At the end of this film, I literally sat there going…”I have no idea what just happened.”]

33

Proof

1991

Hugo Weaving stars in this film with Crowe about a friendship between a young man and a blind guy. Crowe does get naked.

34

No Way Back

1995

As a foreshadowing of things to come, Helen Slater, the original “Supergirl,” stars in this film with Crowe. Crowe would later play Jor-El in “Man of Steel.”

35

Brides of Christ (TV series)

1991

This TV mini-series stars a young Naomi Watts. Crowe appears in a few episodes. This series is mainly about Catholic nuns at a school and the ethical challenges they face in a modern society.

36

Breaking Up

1997

Stars the beautiful Salma Hayek. This movie is basically about a couple that fights all of the time, but then have amazing makeup sex afterward. That is the movie in a nutshell.

37

Mystery, Alaska

1999

This was the beginning of the bromance between Scott Grimes and Kevin Durand. For the next 15+ years, these three would star in one movie after another after another. They are the current day Larry, Moe and Curly…after you see Republic of Doyle, you’ll get that. Crowe = Moe. Grimes = Curly. Durand = Larry.

Not all of Crowe’s movies were easy to find. There were nine films I was not able to get my hands on and that may have more to do with the fact that it was made in Australia in the early 1990s. Most of the films are still on VHS or not able to be used on USA machines. Many of the films have not been transposed to DVD or digital. While I have seen “The Crossing,” that was 15 years ago and it was on VHS. I have not seen a digital or DVD version of that movie made available. The VHS tape alone fetches for over $80 because of its scarcity.

Movies Hard to Find

1

Prisoners of the Sun

1990

George Takei stars.

2

The Crossing

1990

This is the movie where Crowe met and fell in love with Danielle Spencer. They would later marry and have two sons. They are currently divorced. This movie doesn’t appear to have been transferred to DVD or digital, so it will be difficult to find unless you have a VHS player.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I am doing a Russell Crowe movie binge. I have not revealed why. I keep promising to reveal why on the site and today is your lucky day!

[DISCLAIMER: What you are about to read may weird you out a little, because this is something different. The people that know me or are close to me can testify to the fact that I am different. As my Muslim friends say, I am not weird or crazy. I am special in a unique way.

As you read through this, bear in mind that in the Old Testament there are stories of people that spoke of dreams where God has spoken to them to reveal a prophecy or to deliver special messages. The Bible speaks of people speaking in tongues or seeing angels…even talking to God. If you are Muslim, Jew or Christian, you believe these stories.

To say that it does not continue to exist today and it only existed thousands of years ago, you do not know God. God never stopped talking to his people. Today, there are many people out there that are listening to God and speaking with him.

My understanding of God and the universe is a little more elevated than conventional religions. For Muslims and Christians who have heard me speak about God, they have always noticed how I reference their beliefs, but explain the way that things should be. It is more elevated in understanding, and it always rings inside their heart as being God’s truth.

As one friend explained to me, there are times I speak about God and the universe in such a way that he does not understand. Even though he does not understand it, what I say rings in his heart as being the truth. Some time will pass and he will be going about his business when something will happen to him and then he will recount the words I said to him. That is when he says to himself, “That is what she was talking about!”

He told me that I’m on a much higher plane of understanding than he is. He is just trying to get there.

This higher plane of understanding…that is what I am going to be discussing today. It is much easier for people to hear my voice when I describe these things, because oftentimes, seeing is believing. To hear someone’s voice as they tell you this story is much more powerful than just reading their story. It’s their voice that strikes the chord within your heart that what this person is saying is true. Even if you don’t understand it, you will eventually.]

The Crowe Binge is Really About the Novel

On this site, I have been talking a lot about the novel I am currently working on. The book is about a dream I had last month that was so prolific that I had to share it. I saw the dream from beginning to end. The story was just so incredible, I had to bring it to life and share the story with the world.

Who was the lead character in the dream? Russell Crowe.

Before you go thinking that I’m having some prolific and awesome dreams about Russell Crowe, note that I said ‘lead character.’ That means that he’s playing the role of the actual person and it’s not really about Russell Crowe. In other words, the dream plays out like a movie and Crowe is just an actor in the dreamlike movie playing the role of an actual person.

For some odd reason, when God is trying to explain something to me, he uses Russell Crowe in the story to explain it. For the last three years, if Crowe appears in the dream, that means it is a message to explain something going on in my life or something that will happen in my life (aka prophetic dreams).

These dreams play out from beginning to end. I see and feel what every character is thinking and feeling. I see all of the fate lines as they interact and intersect with each person in the dream, and I understand the meaning of it all in the grander scheme of things (i.e. from God’s point of view).

When God speaks, he is speaking a million things all at once. That is the way the universe operates. There is not just one single thing happening in the universe at that very moment, there are many things happening across the universe instantaneously. So when God is explaining one situation, there are many things involved beyond just the story. There is the greater message, which is God’s message, and that message is oftentimes lost in the story. It is his message that is the most important part of the story because it explains everything. It truly explains the story of your life.

A lot of times Crowe’s appearance is a mixed bag. He’s playing the role of everyone the story is about. He’s me. He’s the guy in question. He’s the good guy, the bad guy, the clueless guy and the guy that gets his heart trampled on and can’t figure out why it happened.

In this story though, he’s playing the role of the guy this story is really about (an actual person that exists). I decided to call the book “The Death Between Us.” If you’ve followed along with what’s happened to me over these last 3 years, you’ll understand why I chose that title. There are even some elements that go back to when I was at the Vatican in 2012 and what transpired after that. Death himself plays a prominent role in this book and it is not in a way you could ever imagine.

The Vatican – July 2012

Let me take you back to a day in my life – July 2012. I am in Rome, Italy and I’ve decided to go to St. Peter’s Basilica. I leave the hotel, pick up a few slices of pizza, jump on the subway and head to St. Peter’s Basilica.

I’m tired, because I know my cancer has returned, but I refuse to go to the doctors because I am not ready to go through another year of testing. It’s the testing that’s the worst part.

I get through security in Vatican City and decide to sit down at the obelisk and share my lunch with the birds. After lunch, I head into St. Peter’s Basilica, wearing a long black dress and a red Valentino scarf wrapped around my head to hide my hair as a matter of respect to the church. [I’m not even Christian.]

I start looking around, photographing the church, reading the walls. The marble floors are really weighing down on my body, sucking the energy out of me. I notice there’s a prayer room, so I pretend like I’m going to go in and pray just so I can sit down in one of the pews for a while.

This is where I confess that I can do something that most people can’t do. I can push thoughts into people’s head. When you meditate as much as I do, it awakens parts of your mind and allows you to use parts of your brain that most people do not use. There are a lot of people who meditate regularly that can do this. These are sort of ‘powers’ that come when you have a deep understanding and relationship with God. There are many nuns that I know that have this same ability.

Also, another ‘power’ I have is the ability to see with my mind’s eye things that spiritually cannot be seen with the naked eye. It’s the same kind of ‘power’ where when I’m interviewing someone and they are saying one thing, I hear something else. It is that something else that scares them, because if I print it, it could be bad. As I’ve learned from Ilya Kovalchuk, I am 100% correct in what I see in their mind and that scares them (i.e. hockey players).

At any rate, I’m not Catholic and I’m definitely not Christian, so I decided to eavesdrop on what the nuns were praying about. I pushed myself into the eldest nun’s mind and saw her praying for the souls of man that they would find their way to God. So I pushed the answer into her mind on how that should be accomplished. Another nun was visiting from another country. She was praying for funds so that her church would not close. I looked around me in this room filled with opulence and just shook my head. The Vatican has vast sources of money. They are rich beyond belief and they cannot share the wealth with their flock and churches? Come on now.

That’s when I heard the giggle. I immediately looked up and saw two angels sitting up near the top of the ceiling. They were listening to the prayers and laughing at the people below, having a grand time. That’s when they noticed me. One of them said, “I can’t believe she’s here. Of all places!” The one angel stopped the other and said, “Don’t you know she can hear you?” They left out the window, with one looking back at me as he left…like he was getting ready to run and tell on me for stepping foot in what I believe to be…well, I don’t want to make you mad so I won’t share what I truly think of places of worship.

I stayed in the prayer room a little longer listening to people’s prayers, pushing thoughts into their mind to help them find the answer to their prayers. I even bestowed blessings upon people.

When I felt like my body could handle touring the Vatican again, I got up. I walked out of the prayer room, passed the nun at the admittance area, and just felt this weight on my body, pulling me down. I leaned up against one of the columns and sat down. It was unreal how difficult of a time my body was having. It felt like life was being sucked right out of me.

A couple of tourists took it upon themselves to sit down next to me against the column. A guard came running up and told them to get up. They couldn’t sit there. He looked at me and said, “You, you are okay. You can sit there. Just rest.”

As I was sitting there, I saw an Asian priest hurriedly walking through the Basilica. I was astonished. I’d never seen an Asian priest before. So I decided to get up and follow him. I wanted to see how far I could get into the Vatican before I was stopped.

I followed him to the back of the Basilica and then stopped dead in my tracks.

Imagine standing in front of Death’s Door (this really exists at St. Peter’s Basilica) and realizing what is happening in that very moment that transcends human understanding. You are standing in Death’s throne room and he knows you are there.

When I realized what was going on, I started to bolt out of St. Peter’s. Then I turned back around, because I wasn’t sure. I took out my camera and started photographing Death’s Door. I needed proof that what I was seeing was what I was really seeing. [I’m telling you right now, not a single photograph came out. Not a single one.]

Then I saw him form next to Death’s Door. That was when I bolted for the front door.

Death himself followed me all the way to the front door, telling me a million things all at once (like God does). I looked around me as I made my way to the front door. I came to understand the fallacy of the Christian religion. He told me that they had no idea what they were doing by worshiping the dead. It gave him power and that was wrong. They had no idea how wrong they were. It was not the way things were supposed to be. It was disrespectful to God to give Death so much power by worshiping and praying to the dead.

I hadn’t noticed before while I was touring the Basilica, but there were dead popes all over the place and people were bowing down and praying to their corpses!

When I got to the front door, he told me I had to clean out my soul before it was too late. I took one step out the front door and I saw the guy that had hurt me worse than anyone had ever hurt me in my lifetime standing there on the other side of the gate. Of all the fucking places to run into him, I run into him at the Vatican in Italy.

I turned around and went back into the Basilica, thinking ‘What the Fuck?’ I had a choice. I could either run again or face my fears. I remembered when I was a kid, how I used to get up on the high dive, scared to death. I would stand at the edge and say to myself, just get it over with and jump. So I jumped.

I decided, if God put this guy here at the Vatican at the exact same time as me, it was time to talk to him. So I went back outside, ready to talk to him. He was standing there on the other side of the gates, looking right at me. A woman called from behind him and he turned his head. Then like seeing a haze lift, I saw that it wasn’t him. It wasn’t him at all.

I was so confused, I looked back towards the entrance to the Basilica and Death was standing there. He said, “Now you understand.”

What he was talking about was that I needed to forgive that guy for hurting me worse than anyone has ever hurt me and forgive myself for hurting him by walking away. Death wasn’t there to scare me. He was there to help me. He told me there are certain things you do not want to carry with you when you die. He had dug down deep into the bottom of my soul for that one.

He didn’t pick the guy that killed himself. He didn’t pick the soured relationship between me and my family. He chose him. I had to forgive him and myself for what happened. This was something I should not take with me in my soul when I die. It was a story that should never be repeated in any lifetime.

I was so exhausted from what had transpired, I sat down on the steps outside of the Basilica. Once again, the tourists took it upon themselves to take liberty and sit next to me. The guards came running over telling everyone to get up and leave…EXCEPT me. The guard told me I was fine. I could sit in the shade if I wanted to. There were 3 different guards that relayed that exact same message every single time tourists sat down next to me.

This is why I love the Catholics. They’re so nice.

I Speak in Tongues

The next day, I headed to Sorrento. I was sitting in a cafe when this old gypsy woman approached me asking for donations. I gave her 20 euros. She thanked me and then did a double take. She crossed herself a few times and immediately headed out of the cafe. She kept looking back at me a little scared.

She came back 15 minutes later with all of these charms and pictures of saints. She told me in Italian, “Death is following you.” I responded, “I know.”

She gave me the charms to help ward him off and explained what I should do to help keep Death at bay. I know college level first year Italian. My professor claimed that I was such a native speaker she thought I was lying when I said I didn’t know Italian prior to taking her class…and she was an Italian. [My Russian professor said the same thing about my Russian.] How I was able to communicate with this woman in Italian for a good 20 minutes, I have no idea. My Muslim friends tell me that every now and again I speak in Arabic to them. I don’t know Arabic except for a few choice words.

A friend of mine even witnessed me talking to a Palestinian woman in Arabic on the subway one time. When the lady left me, I blessed her and my friend and I went on our way. She said, “I had no idea you knew Arabic.” I replied, “I don’t.” She thought I was messing with her. I said, “Honestly, I don’t.”

She looked at me strange and said, “But I just witnessed you talking to her in Arabic.” I shrugged my shoulders and said, “She was telling me about her husband and how he had died in a bomb attack. They were sleeping when it hit the house and instantly killed him. She’s on her way to her in-laws in Queens.”

She told me that the conversation was not in English (like I thought it was). It was completely in Arabic.

[I believe this would be the equivalent to a modern day ‘speaking in tongues.’ To me, I hear what the soul is saying. The soul speaks a universal language. It is the same language no matter what language you speak. I may think I’m speaking in English to someone, but I’m really talking to their soul, so somehow it translates into the correct language. Which means that if you are speaking in a foreign language around me, chances are high I understand everything you are saying and can respond in your language.]

So back to the Italian gypsy lady. She told me Death was following me. I knew he was because I could feel him. St. Peter’s Basilica is Death’s Throne Room. That feeling like the life was being sucked right out of me…that was my spiritual side feeling Death himself nearby.

He followed me all over Italy that next week and then continued to follow me around until October 22, 2013. During that time, I came to terms with Death. I learned he was not to be feared. He was a friend. He was an uncle that cared about what was happening to me.

The Cancer

I knew the cancer had returned. I could feel it back then at the Vatican, but I refused to go and see the doctor because in 2008-2009 I spent the entire year going through medical testing, looking for the cancer. The signs were there. We just had to wait and see where it would appear. I also had surgery in 2008 and there were complications post-op. The doctors were trying to figure out what happened. The cancer was awakened thanks to that surgery.

After a year of medical testing, I couldn’t do it anymore. I was just too tired to keep doing it with no results. We were playing the waiting game. We were waiting to see where the cancer would show up.

In 2013, I returned to hockey writing and I was mad as hell. In my meditation, I yelled at God for that broken heart associated with giving up on a dream. He kept telling me I needed to see a doctor. There was something wrong. It wasn’t something I could fix. Only a doctor could fix it. He told me that during every single meditation.

By June, he had to scream it in my head during a meditation, so I booked an appointment to see my doctor. I told her exactly what the meditation was saying. I said to her in the exam room, “God told me in my meditation that there is something wrong with me. It is not something I can fix. Only a doctor can fix it.” She put what I said into the computer system, probably thinking me delusional and to circle back on that later. She told me to just go workout, start a diet, blah blah blah. Everything was okay.

Then the blood tests came back. The result: they found the tumor.

With each doctor I went to at Roosevelt after that, they all asked me again and again, “How did you know?” It’s like they had to hear me say it in order for them to believe it. Science isn’t meant to disprove that God does not exist…it is also meant to prove that God does exist.

During the final stages of my testing, the first doctor I saw during my nuclear testing asked me how I knew. I repeated the exact same words. “God said there is something wrong with me. It is not something I can fix. Only a doctor can fix it.” That doctor did not just want to hear me say it once. She needed to hear me say it again, just to make sure I was not crazy.

With each nuclear test I took that day, each doctor asked me how I knew. I repeated the same thing. In one of the longest part of the tests, the doctor ran out of the room to get the chief doctor to look at my tests. They were also talking about what I had said. I could hear one of them say, “There is no way she could have known about this.”

The technician sat there in the nuclear science lab with me looking at the screen, he turned to me and asked me (because he had heard the other doctors talking about it), “How did you know? There are no signs for this type of cancer. How did you know?”

I repeated the exact same words to him. I explained that the symptoms I was having could have been easily diagnosed as something simple like plantar’s fasciitis, or how I needed to workout more, etc. The blood test was what told us the tumor was there.

The technician sat there looking at me in disbelief. He was an Indian man. He told me that in his culture, they believe this stuff, but this was the first time in his life that he had ever witnessed someone say something like this and it ended up being completely accurate. There was something wrong with me. It was not something I could fix, only a doctor could.

How many men of science do you think changed their mind about God’s existence after meeting me that day?

Death Follows Me

I came to realize that what happened at St. Peter’s Basilica in front of Death’s Door had an even bigger meaning. I wasn’t just figuratively standing before Death’s Door, I was literally at death’s door and he had taken an interest in me that day. He followed me everywhere I went and I could feel him.

Over those two months of testing, the doctors told me to prepare for the worst. So I did. I got my affairs in order and on October 22, 2013, I walked into Roosevelt Hospital hoping that I’d live through this. I had said a prayer that morning when I arose. I asked God to let me live. If he were to let me live, my entire existence would be to live by his will. I would do what I was supposed to do (which is to complete the novels).

As I lie in the bed in the prep room, the team of doctors came in to talk to me to explain everything to me all the way down to explaining how they were filling my body with Gatorade (no joke). At one point, they left. I lay there waiting when I felt Death standing at the edge of my bed. He was happy and told me that he wasn’t there for me that day. He was there for someone else down the hall. “Surprise, you’re going to live!”

I have to say, the weight was lifted off of my shoulders. After the surgery, when I realized I was dreaming, I did a whole, “Fuck. I’m alive.” I heard a beeping noise and a nurse yelling at me to breathe. She told me to just concentrate on breathing. Deep breaths in and out.

I tried to come out of my haze and focus on my breathing. I saw Death standing there smiling saying, “See, I told you that you would live.” He then went on to explain to me that I was on borrowed time.

The Borrowed Time & the Storyline

That ‘borrowed time’ became prevalent in this dream I had last month. According to the dream, Death had taken pity on me and did something he wasn’t supposed to do. He gave me time…time to do what I was supposed to do…to make the dreams come true.

This is why the book is called “The Death Between Us.” This is truly about Death’s vested interest in giving me that borrowed time and what it all means.

Crowe’s role in the dream was not Death. He played the guy who loses the woman he loves. Death is the evil nemesis that steals from him the woman he loves. Death becomes the lover and the one that wipes her memories from her, so she would not only forget who she was, but forget who this man was and how she felt about him. Death is the one that causes the ultimate heart break.

So this whole Russell Crowe binge is about making sure that I continuously see the main character in my mind. Seeing the actor from the dream pushes me to keep on writing, because I am constantly thinking about the story.

One thing I would like is for all of my books to turn into movies. The books in my head are based on those prolific dreams I’ve had. Oddly enough, Crowe was in every single one of those dreams I’m writing about. Like I said, God likes to use Crowe as my spirit guide in my dreams. I’m not complaining. He’s nice to look at. Just saying.

I think perhaps the ultimate reason why Crowe plays out in every story is because if and when these books turn into films, perhaps Crowe will take an interest and be in every single one of these films. I mean, how many authors can say that when they wrote their books, Crowe was the main person in mind to play the lead male character? The character looks like him (something to keep in mind if you ever read the novels).

As for this particular story, I am not going to reveal who the actual person is that this story is really about. That is for him to choose to pick up the book and read it, if and when he is ready. This book is about his heart break. This is my way of explaining to him why his heart breaking was out of my control and there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening. What happened on October 22, 2013 made me forget who he was. When the memories returned, those feelings I had for him never returned.

It is hard watching someone’s heart break in front of you because he knows you no longer love him. This book is being written for him to understand that there was something much greater going on in the universe and it was not within his control. This is about learning to let her go.

****

I bet never in a million years did you ever expect me to say that the reason for the Russell Crowe binge was because of this. Now you know. It’s about the novel.

Are you a cinephile? Oh, I am. I definitely am. Summers are always the best time to hit the theaters. It gets you out of the sweltering heat and into a nice air-conditioned room for a couple of hours. A lot of times, that’s worth the $16. But to do that more than a few times a month, movies can become pretty expensive.

Well, someone out there created MoviePass. For around $30/month (I pay $34.99/month), you can see 1 movie every 24 hours. For people in NYC, the monthly membership pays for itself in a little over 2 movies a month.

I’ve been using Movie Pass for almost two years now and I love it. Everyone I know that is a member loves it! I’ve never had an issue with it. The way it works is you apply online for the membership, and they send you a MoviePass credit card which you will use to purchase your movies at the theater. This card can only be activated by checking into a 2D movie on the MoviePass app on your phone. You’ll have 30 minutes after checking into the movie to purchase the ticket. The app is what activates the MoviePass credit card for that movie ticket purchase.

The card only works for 2D movies. There are restrictions that you should familiarize yourself with, so read the fine print to learn how to get the most out of MoviePass. Follow the rules and you’ll have no problems enjoying this great membership.

If you go to the movies every week, this would be a perfect money-saving option for you. I try to go to the movies 2-3 times a week.

MoviePass is Only the Beginning of Savings

Make sure you sign up for movie rewards at each of the theaters you go to. Combined with the MoviePass, you’ll rack up rewards much faster.

For instance, I just recently renewed my AMC Stubs card for $12. Most people would kind of flinch and turn down paying $12 for a rewards card. To me, I’ve gotten my money back plus more.

They sent me an email recently saying that if I renewed now, I could get $5 to spend in my account, so I renewed and got $5 to use at concessions. I’ve also received other special offers via email that rewarded $5 to my account (so it pays to actually look at the emails they send).

Another great thing about AMC Stubs is that once or twice a year, they’ll give away free passes to a pre-screening of a movie. I try to go every year they do this. This year, it was Criminal.

Now here’s the trick to the savings with loyalty cards:

In order to get that first $10 rewards from AMC Stubs, you need to spend $100 at AMC. The cheapest way to do that is by using your MoviePass.

Using MoviePass, that’s $15.99/movie applied to the AMC Stubs card. In a little over 6 visits, that equates to a $10 reward added to your AMC Stubs account.

In order to get that $10 reward without MoviePass, you’d end up spending $100 out of pocket to get to that $10 reward. With MoviePass, it’s around $34.99 to get to that $10 reward by seeing 6 movies in one month. That’s a savings of $65. That is the cheapest way to get to those rewards without spending any extra money.

But of course, many people like to stop at concessions to get their popcorn or drink. Just make sure you are earning points with those purchases. Remember, order the size down, because with AMC Stubs, it is an automatic upgrade to the next size.

Regal Crown Club is FREE to sign up. They work on a point system. You get points for movies/concessions which you can later redeem on concessions, free tickets and other exclusive movie items. They reward you for becoming a frequent guest. The more you check in during the year, the more points you’ll be able to earn per movie.

So whatever theater you frequent, make sure you sign up for their loyalty card program. Free movie tickets and concessions are in your future.

The Rewards Don’t Stop There

My friends usually laugh when they see me pulling out all of these reward tickets and cards when we go to the movies. Last week, I not only got a free ticket to see “The Huntsman,” but I also got a free small popcorn. I don’t eat movie popcorn, so I gave the reward to my friend who was able to upgrade the small to a large for only $2. I still got points added to my account for that $2 upgrade.

The thing is…they have no idea that the savings and rewards doesn’t stop there for me. I get more points to use towards other rewards.

Are you a member of Disney Movie Rewards? If you see Disney movies, Star Wars movies, Marvel movies, or even buy them…you are missing out on extra points you could be using towards Disney/Star Wars/Marvel items, gift cards (Starbucks, etc.), trip vouchers (Delta Vacations), or even photo processing gift certificates. It’s completely free to join. You can use your qualified movie tickets and DVD/Blu-Ray purchases to get points to use towards rewards.

I spend the year racking up as many points as I can get. In November, I use the points to purchase gifts for children who would not have a Christmas if it weren’t for the generosity of strangers.

Sony Rewards is another rewards program. You can rack up points in a variety of ways (fast track to getting rewards is to apply for their credit card and earn points that way). The rewards? They have everything from DVDs/Blurays on up to TVs, cameras, film equipment, etc. You can even use the points towards Ultimate Rewards for concert tickets, etc. It’s free to sign up and to make it easier to register your points…there’s an app.

Extras

For those 3D and 4DX movies that cannot be purchased by using the MoviePass, purchase your tickets through Fandango. Make sure you’ve signed up for Fandango Rewards. While some may be lamenting the fees involved with purchasing your tickets through Fandango…hear me out. You’ll find that purchasing 4DX tickets will sell out very quickly. [If you have not tried out 4DX, it is a must. It is worth every single penny. It is an experience in and of itself. It’s like you are in the movie.]

I went to see Captain America: Civil War’s first showing, which in NYC, starts at 7PM the day before the actual release nationwide. That morning, there were only 5 seats available for the 4DX showing. I grabbed my ticket right then and there through Fandango. As far as getting points, because it was a Marvel film, Disney Movie Rewards is connected to the Fandango account, as well as the Regal Crown Card, so I don’t have to do anything extra after the movie to make sure I got my credits through the rewards programs. It was already taken care of.

Now, this is why I mention Fandango Rewards, I’m going to introduce you to an app called Fandango Now. You can rent, buy and stream movies through the Fandango Now app. Points from your Fandango VIP Rewards can be used towards a percentage off on your purchase at Fandango Now. You get points through your purchases at Fandango Now (no points are rewarded through buying tickets at Fandango.com).

Fandango Now is still new to me, so I’ll explain why I am suggesting this app. I use Cinema Now and Fandango Now to buy and rent movies. Fandango Now has offered a lower sale price than Cinema Now on rentals. Last week, the rentals for a variety of titles (many new and not on DVD yet) were $1.99 each. I took an AmEx gift card I had received and bought up a few of the titles and streamed it on my tablet.

The Good Dinosaur was available on Fandango Now, but not on Cinema Now. They had gotten the release before Cinema Now, so I got it through them. That’s where Fandango Now has a little bit of an edge over Cinema Now. You can view many movies before they hit DVD and before other streaming services get the titles.

Now, here’s the downside…The Good Dinosaur was not in Ultraviolet. That means that I can’t put the title in my Ultraviolet library to watch in other Ultraviolet friendly apps such as Cinema Now. That means you can only view the movie on the Fandango Now app.

Keep in mind that Fandango Now is limited in how it can be used. It will work on your mobile devices, tablets and computers. For televisions and streaming equipment, it only works on a few select devices. Make sure to look closely at whether your Smart TV or streaming equipment is supported. If it isn’t, you’ll only be able to watch your movie/TV show on your devices and computer…unless you get the electronics Fandango Now works with (I’m hoping this changes soon and they get more licensing deals with other platforms like Microsoft to use on Xbox One).

If you stream movies all of the time on your computer and devices, then this snafoo does not apply to you. When purchasing titles, if you want to add it to your Ultraviolet library, make sure the title says ULTRAVIOLET on it. If it does not, you will only be able to watch the movie through the app.

For those wanting to save money on a movie night, check between Fandango Now and other streaming movie apps. Check their sales. Movie night at home could only cost $1.99 for a family of four on a release that just left the theaters and hasn’t hit DVD yet. I like that Fandango Now has titles not yet released through other streaming services. For those cinephiles that can’t wait…Fandango Now may be your better option.

SAVE BIG

So what have you learned? MOVIEPASS. This is a membership that pays for itself if you are a cinephile that goes to the movies a lot. If you’re an occasional movie goer, this isn’t for you. If you go to the movies 3 or more times a month (or would like to go that many times), then this is the membership for you.

Use your movie reward cards to earn rewards towards concessions, movie tickets and other memorabilia. For me, I am always earning rewards to use at the concessions every month. Sometimes it is a free dinner!

Sign up for Disney Movie Rewards and Sony Rewards. You may think you’re not watching a Disney movie, but if you love Star Wars and Marvel, then you’re actually at a Disney movie! Earn points to use towards gift cards and merchandise!

For streaming services, try Fandango Now. With the Fandango VIP, you can redeem points to earn a percentage off on rentals/movies. Fandango Now has releases before most streaming services. So if you want to see a title that just left the theater, they are your best bet. Also, make sure to check the sales between all of the streaming apps before purchasing. You may end up finding a better deal!

I hope you found this informative. This is how I watch movies. I try to bleed as many rewards out of that movie ticket as I can. This is how you can watch movies frugally. You can keep that $34.99/month (or less, depending on the region where you live) in your entertainment budget and reap the rewards of the various programs out there that can net you free concessions, free movie tickets for friends/family, and exclusive entries into sweepstakes.

And in the summer heat…this could be your little relief every single day. Happy Movie Watching!

As part of a new series this year, I wanted to share with you how I am decluttering my life. This is a five month series. For those who want to take the steps to begin decluttering your life, count on this being a six month life plan to commit to this year. You’ll need the extra month to truly put this plan into effect.

Step 2. Tackle Your Entertainment

For those who have a rather large entertainment collection (videos, CDs, records, games, books, etc.), today we’re going to focus on how you can downsize your collection.

We are fortunate that we live in an age where we can get rid of our clutter and go digital with almost all of our entertainment needs. For those who have BluRay players, Smart TVs, XBox Ones and PS4s, (i.e. technology you can connect to the internet) utilize what these devices offer by putting everything up online to access your content through streaming and cloud services.

Take Advantage of Cloud Services – Movies

PART ONE. You know those pieces of paper you get inside your DVDs and BluRay Discs with a special digital code? Go online and enter in the codes. Most use services like Flixster or Ultraviolet. Those are the two movie cloud services you want to have an account with. It’s FREE.

What’s great about getting an account with both of these services is that they interlink with each other, so no matter which service you use based on the movie company’s choice provider(s), you can luckily interlink all of the accounts together. You can do that through the settings on both accounts.

On your Smart TV, Xbox, etc., download a movie app that allows you to access your movie collection. For me, that app is Cinema Now.

Using that app, link all of your upload libraries (Flixster and Ultraviolet) to the movie app (you can also do this online). You should be able to access your library of all digital content you entered in codes for through the various upload services. Movie companies usually decide which service they will use as a digital content service. You just have to enter in the code, pick which account you have from the list, and then it automatically is added to your cloud library.

When you open up your movie app on your TV, all of the digital content through the various services will be all in one spot to access no matter which TV or device you use.

Going Forward. Resolve to only purchase all future movies through the streaming service. You don’t need the actual physical copy to clutter up your home. By purchasing through the streaming service, you will have access to that movie on any of your devices. It also saves you a trip to the store or wait time to get it in the mail.

PART TWO. If you use streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime, consider matching your current library with theirs. If it’s part of their service, consider ditching your actual copy of the movie.

Most people don’t know that part of their Amazon Prime service is a streaming movie service just like Netflix. It’s part of the Prime membership. You don’t have to pay extra for it. All of the videos you order (or have ordered over the years prior to Prime) are available in the Amazon Cloud for you to access, too. They also have their own shows like Netflix does.

Netflix and Amazon Prime have a lot of the same movies and TV shows. The only major difference is their own original content like Orange is the New Black (Netflix) and The Man in the High Castle (Amazon Prime).

After you’ve completed PART ONE and PART TWO, you can get rid of the physical DVD/BluRay discs. They are available to you digitally. You can make a few bucks off that collection by going to a local retailer that buys used DVDs/BluRays.

PART THREE. After you have entered in all of the codes you found, matched your collection to Netflix or Amazon Prime, sold your collection (or donated it), now you need to focus on maintenance.

Check every now and again to see if there are any movies popping up on Netflix or Amazon Prime that you already own. If it’s new to their catalog, you can let go of your copy. Netflix makes it easy by showing what new movies they’ve added. Amazon Prime is a bit more laborious to check. Netflix is the easiest to go through and search. It’s much faster if you search the collection via your computer.

For the new movies you want to purchase, instead of buying a physical copy of it, you can now buy a digital copy through the movie app (Cinema Now) or even through Amazon. You can even rent movies if you don’t feel like buying. The prices to purchase are comparable to the actual physical copy. What’s also nice is that when you purchase, it downloads immediately. You don’t have to go to the store or wait for it to be delivered. It saves time and shipping costs.

Keep in mind that if you rent, check the prices between your cable provider, Amazon and the movie app. One may be cheaper than the other. Also, if you can wait, most of the popular movies are out on the movie channels a month after it’s released on DVD. I DVR it if I want to keep it. It saves from purchasing the movie itself.

Take Advantage of Streaming Services – Music

I use two streaming music services: Amazon Prime and Google Play. Of the two, I prefer Google Play. Amazon Prime Music is part of the Amazon Prime membership. You don’t pay extra for it. Google Play is a little less than $11 per month (depending on your state taxes).

I prefer Google Play because I am able to access their extremely large music library. The selling point for me is the classical collection. There are certain albums I like and Google Play has it. Amazon Prime does not. Not everything on Prime is part of the service. You have to pay for some of the music. Google Play, on the other hand, has everything. To me, that’s worth the $10+ each month: access to unlimited music and stations.

I don’t own any CDs thanks to streaming services. I can download every single album or song I’ve loved throughout my entire life and not pay anything extra beyond that monthly fee.

Keep in mind though that some artists will force you to purchase their music. If that’s the case, you’ll need Amazon Prime or iTunes to get their music. They won’t always be available on streaming services.

Either way, it keeps it digital. It’s less stuff you have to physically take care of.

Less clutter and less stuff to take care of is our mission!

Take Advantage of Reading Apps – Books

There is an ongoing debate among book lovers. Hard copy or digital? Most book lovers do both. For advanced copies of books, I have to have the physical copies. They don’t send digital copies (although they should…it would save so much in shipping costs).

PART ONE. For books I have to have now, or something to read while I’m traveling, I order it through my Nook app or Amazon Kindle app. I try to order all new books that are available digitally through one of the two apps, depending on who is selling the book cheaper or if I want narration added to it.

One service I do love is Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited. It’s a monthly service ($9.99/month). If you think about how much you pay per month for one book…and you read a lot…this service may be best for you. What I love the most about this service is that most of the books have narration. If I have to stop reading and walk somewhere, then I switch to narration so I can continue the book while I’m walking. It’s also great if you’re at work and need something to listen to. I listen to books while I’m working to help kick out my New Year’s Resolution of reading 52+ Books a year.

There is also the Audible service, but for the same price, you get one credit per month for an audio book. You also can’t switch back and forth between reading and listening to the narration. I prefer the Kindle Unlimited because like it says…unlimited books from their library. That includes the books you can switch back and forth between reading and narration.

So for those times you find that incredible book you just can’t put down but you have to because you have to go from point A to B or you are at work…consider the Kindle Unlimited service. You can listen to the book when you can’t read it. The narration picks up right where you left off reading. That’s why I love this service so much.

PART TWO. For those who have libraries at home…finding a way to declutter your books (when you are a bibliophile) is just impossible. So I want to focus on storage. If you’re looking for the perfect library system, try the Billy cases from Ikea. They are pretty high and can accommodate a rather large book collection.

I keep all of my books in the library. Unless I am reading that book, it’s the only time a book is allowed out of that room. People go on and on about styling their bookcases to look pretty. All of my books are alphabetized by author. They are all standing up, none are on its side (a KonMari must, everything must be standing up). If there are more books than shelf space, that means I have to weed out books to get rid of.

For the books I’ve already read, I only keep the books that were so good that I know I may need a passage from it later. These are the type of books that moved me. All the rest are either donated or sold at a resale bookstore.

Because I receive a lot of advanced copies, I have to weed every year to make room for the new review copies. Out of the advanced copies group, I only keep the books that were personally autographed to me. All the rest are donated after I review them. You can’t really resell advanced copies of books.

The key thing about having a library is that all of the books be in ONE PLACE. Do not scatter them throughout your home (with the exception of coffee table books). Have them all in one place so that when you are looking for a particular book, you will find it in that one room sitting on the shelf where it is supposed to be. Come up with a system that works for you. Alphabetizing by author works for me.

I also keep the review copies separate from the main books in the library. They have their own book shelf so I know which books I’m supposed to review.

The KonMari method teaches that we should stand everything up on its side (folded clothing, books, etc.). Keep that in mind as you place the books in an order that works for you.

The method of going through the collection and asking yourself if the book ‘sparks joy’ is a bit fruitless to ask of bibliophiles. All of the books spark joy.

In order to declutter from an overflowing collection, start with the books you’ve already read. If you have no intention of reading or referencing it again…let it go. If there are books that were given to you that you have no intention of ever reading because it’s not something that interests you…let it go. Books that are too damaged to read, recycle them. College books…come on, you are never going to read them again…let it go.

The most important thing in this process is to make sure you have the correct storage space for your library. If it’s overflowing, or you can’t stand all the books up on the shelves, you need to pare down or get a book shelf that will work for your budding collection. Start paring down the groups I mentioned above. Give those books another chance to let someone else enjoy them. It served its purpose in your life. By letting it go, it’s one less thing you have to take care of.

PART THREE. Maintaining order in your reading apps is very important. You can order up a storm of books and they will all sit there in your queue waiting to be read. This is where YOU STOP doing that. In a way, you are overwhelming yourself by creating a clutter of books you need to read on an app. Resolve from here on out to buy the book when you plan on reading it.

For books you’ve read, make sure you archive it, return it (Amazon Kindle), or remove it from your active library. You can always recall the book whenever you need it (if you purchased it). This clears up your visual library when you open up the device/app. Your goal is to be a minimalist in this decluttering journey.

If you really want to start decluttering your devices/apps, consider putting most of the books into the archive and leaving only the next 3-5 books you want to read in the queue. As you finish and archive each book, you can go through the archive and add the next book to the queue or purchase a new book.

Your goal is to declutter your reading apps. Maybe someday they’ll create reading lists (like they do music playlists) where you can easily drop and categorize your books. So if you’re in the mood to read a teen book, you can just go to your TEEN BOOKS list you created and pick one from your archived list. I guess I should email them and request this?

For the Gamers

Gamers technically already know that if they have an internet based game console, they can just order the new game through the console and it is uploaded immediately. No need to purchase the physical copy.

Buying a physical copy means you have to use that disc each time you want to play the game. It’s better to just download the game. This is great especially if you’re at someone else’s house and want to play a game you downloaded. Just switch to your profile on the other person’s game console and you can play.

You can take games/consoles you no longer want to places like Game Stop to resell.

When you pare down your games, you want to ask yourself if this game brings you joy or not. If it doesn’t, let it go. If you are not going to play it again, let it go. If you beat the game already, let it go. If you have the next version of the game (like most sports games) and it’s better than the older version, let the older version go.

I know there are collectors out there, so with the older game consoles and games, if they still function properly, keep and maintain them. I know how it feels to be nostalgic and want to play Atari or Nintendo 64.

For current and new games, consider downloading the games from here on out. Or use a game renting service like Gamefly.

Keep in mind that the less stuff you have, the less things you have to take care of. Your goal here is to declutter and get rid of everything that does not bring you joy. The only things you want to keep in your home are the things that bring you joy.

Does it Spark Joy?

Remember that throughout this whole process of decluttering your entertainment, your first question is “Does this spark joy?” If it doesn’t, let it go. The whole purpose of decluttering the KonMari way is to only keep the things in your home that brings you joy. You only want to surround yourself with the things that bring you joy.

After you have used this method to pare down everything (sometimes it can take a few tries to declutter one category), what you want to have left from your collection are ‘just enough.’ In other words, you have enough and you don’t need anymore. You’ve minimized your collection down to where things are not overflowing. You are content with the amount you have. For some people it may be nothing. For others 25, 75, 100, or 500. Just as long as you have adequate storage and things are not overflowing, you can have as many as you want…but the whole idea to decluttering is to have less things so you can do the things you’d rather be doing without being burdened down by stuff that will suck the energy out of you.

In attendance at the world premiere was Ryan Reynolds and the directors of the film.

“Mississippi Grind” is about a gambler named Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) from Iowa, who, like most gambling addicts, finds himself in a bit of a pickle. He’s broke. He’s losing all of the time. He owes a lot of people money.

Insert Curtis (played by Reynolds). He walks into Gerry’s life like a beautiful leprechaun, bestowing incredible luck upon him.

Curtis is a bit of a drifter. He has no set home. He just travels all over the place. Even though he’s a bit of a good luck charm for Gerry, he doesn’t care about winning…mostly because he wins all of the time. He doesn’t really ever lose.

Curtis is drawn to people like Gerry, guys on self-destruct mode. He’s tried to help other people like him in the past, people that need help seeing how they can become a better person. Yet, all through this, you wonder if he is truly trying to save Gerry from himself? The answer is: who knows.

After being threatened by some loan sharks, Gerry gets this idea that he should go to New Orleans to win enough money to pay off everyone. He doesn’t have much money, so he asks Curtis for a $500 loan. The buy-in to the poker tournament in New Orleans is $25,000. Gerry proposes they stop in a few places on the way to New Orleans to win the money they need. Curtis fronts him $2,000 and they head on an epic journey from Iowa to New Orleans to win it big.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooca5idaNSk]

Here is the audio from the talk with Reynolds, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (the directors) at The Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Of note, for Reynolds fans, he says that after Deadpool, it will be the last time he plays a superhero character.

One of my favorite songs is “Use Me” by Bill Withers. The lyrics say, “You just keep on using me until you use me up, Until you use me up.” I want to do as much work on this planet until I can not be used any longer. So I say, ‘use me,’ to me, ‘to use me up earth!’ I use that as my mantra everyday while putting my best foot forward.

When you go on adventures in life, you never know who you will meet or the people that the universe will place in your path. I met Edwin Walker (aka E. Micheaux) during the NYC Premiere of the movie “Dope” during the American Black Film Festival. We ended up sitting next to each other during the film, chatting for some time before the movie started.

I told Edwin a little about myself and he told me his story. His story is one that is worth sharing with the world because it is a remarkable story of how this young man (he’s only 26 years old) went out and pursued his dream to be a filmmaker at a very young age. He has done more things and has experienced a lifetime worth of stories in his short life than most people do by the time they are 26 years old.

Edwin continued telling me his story the day after the movie when we caught up with each other again at a special ABFF dinner. His story was so remarkable that an old gospel/jazz singer I met at the dinner was so amazed by the story, she pulled him over to remark on how inspiring he was to her! A 65-year-old woman saying a 26-year-old was inspiring her!

Edwin and I carried our conversation on over to the HBO “Ballers” party after the dinner and talked well into the late night hours about life, business, and social media. One thing I know for sure is that meeting Edwin was like meeting a new friend I know I will have for the rest of my life.

Edwin is a remarkable and amazing person that is very passionate about life and film. He’s sharing his story today in order to help inspire others to live their dreams.

1. Please tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

I am Edwin Walker and I am a Creative Activist of Art & Storytelling. I am from Chicago, IL. I’m 26 years old, yet on some days I feel like I’m 66. I’m such an old soul. I am working day in and day out to bring fresh and authentic stories to audiences. My ultimate goal is to have my own distribution company, a digital media network and entity. With that, I want to target Generation X and Millennials audiences, giving them content that they want. Innovative, yet fun and refreshing. In today’s media, many companies are owned by conglomerates that are feeding audiences the same content. I want to be at the forefront of giving audiences the content and projects that they want through a Direct to Fan strategy, cutting the middle man out, and letting the content curators and audiences do all the decision making. So that is my quest, it’s a big part of who I am at this point in my life and career.

2. How did you end up in LA?

How did I end up in Los Angeles aka LaLa Land? Well…the ambition and passion that I had for the Arts & Entertainment, I knew that it would take me to LA or NYC, and this was at a young age. My Grandmother always tells me, when I was five I would call NBC and ABC in my hometown and want to speak to the person who could get me on TV, on shows like The Cosby Show and Family Matters. This was at five. So I knew this would be something that I loved, and I felt the passion growing quickly, watching TV shows and movies wanting to be in their world. So when I was 12, I moved to Pasadena, CA, a city outside of Los Angeles to live with my Grandfather, and I began acting. I started doing commercials and got the opportunity to be on the Disney Channel Show, “The Famous Jett Jackson.” Other opportunities were starting to build when I got homesick.

I was miles away from all of my family in Chicago. Living with just my grandfather and no other family was tough. I was away from my Mother and Grandmother, living with this man who was strict and everything was so different from the life I knew in Chicago. So I moved back to Chicago after only a year and a half. I felt like I was failure at 13, like I started something that I couldn’t finish. So that caused me to give up on my visions and myself.

For about 3 years, I wanted to do nothing associated with entertainment. I tried Football, Science club, the debate team…anything to try to ignore my true passions. I just couldn’t escape it. I then started writing more at 16. I wrote songs, which led to me joining a singing group. That didn’t last for long. That soon turned into me writing scripts and short stories. My passion was reborn.

I got an agent in Chicago and started back acting. I took media classes and fell in love with directing and the camera. Soon after that I got a role in the movie “The Promotion,” starring John C. Reilly and Sean William Scott, written and directed by Steven Conrad (this is the man who wrote the script for the amazing film “The Pursuit of Happyness” starring Will Smith).

This experience was the game changer for me. At 17, I was working with A-list actors and top producers and directors. The week that I worked with everyone on set, I was a sponge soaking up as much information as I possibly could. They all gave me such great advice on what I should do in my career. John gave me a list of agents, Sean gave me a list of managers in LA, and Steven took all my scripts I had written and read them and told me about screenwriting programs in LA.

So I prayed hard about whether I should forego college and leave for LA. All signs pointed to this move. So at 18, with $1,700 to my name and knowing a handful of people in LA, four suitcases in hand, I did my homework. I found a few studio apartments to check out to move into. I packed up and moved there. I didn’t even finish High School. I enrolled in a program where I would get my last credits through mail. The program was called “American School.” It was like a home school program.

I can still remember getting on the plane at 18, literally a few months as an adult. I just turned 18 in November and I was sitting on this plane to LA on January 26th, 2007. Fear did not come over me at all. I was rather anxious and excited for the unknown. Once I got off that plane and returned back to LA, I was ready for the struggle, disappointment, “No’s,” doubt. Everything that could possibly happen to me in my 8 years living in LA has happened to me. From evictions, car repossessions, car accidents, bad managers stealing your money, being robbed, having to pawn camera equipment to pay rent, losing friends, losing money and losing things in fires.

Everything has happened to me, and I have had my days where I want to quit. I can’t lie, but I revert back to that 18 year old that was on that plane who had no fear. I could of turned around then, but I knew I was ready for the challenge ahead. That has kept me going thus far…along with a lot of prayer and trust in God.

3. Why did you choose being a filmmaker as a career? Were there certain influences that made you realize this is who you are?

I don’t think I chose being a filmmaker, it chose me. I’m an only child, and I always had to entertain myself. I was also a latch key kid. My Mother worked two jobs at one point in time. I’m a child of a single parent, so I would escape into different worlds. Creating scenarios of what my life could be, or how other lives were, how would it be if something was this way, or imagining life in space or life in the ocean. Creating stories and using my imagination was always thrilling to me.

I always got into trouble in school, because I felt like the teachers wouldn’t let me use my imagination and create more. I felt stifled. Once I started acting and studying my craft, I saw how much of a responsibility it is as an actor to make people believe you are another person rather than yourself.

Through studying filmmaking, I realized that the responsibility is now greater than the actor, because as a filmmaker you have to create a world and living things that people have to interpret. Growing up – I truly believe was my film school. I didn’t go to NYU or USC’s prestigious film programs. I went to 7 different schools in my life from Kindergarten till 11th Grade. In my entire life, I have lived in five different states. I’ve had all of these experiences with different people in my life that made me view people and places from a broader scope. Those experiences made me want to tell real slice of life stories, and start writing those stories. Filmmaking honestly chose me.

I think other filmmakers would agree that it’s bigger than passion when you have to spend a large amount of your time in your day giving brain power to stories that are sticking with you. You have to make that come alive through words and fonts that could take months, through scripts– sometimes even years. Then you have to find the money and the team to bring the vision to life and that could take years. Being a filmmaker is an emotional, yet invigorating, journey. You have to really be in it, knowing that it’s your calling. It called me and kept calling me and I couldn’t get away from being a filmmaker. It chose me.

4. What projects is your company Edclusive Entertainment creating now?

I have to keep myself productive, so in between gearing up for my feature film directorial debut, I have created mini pieces that are under 5 mins that are conversation pieces. My first one up is Lyfe + Def: A Reckless Love Story. It’s the tale of two young lost hearts. I’m really excited about this project because we live in a society that so many young people want to be loved, but they don’t know how to love. This project will explore that in a unique way.

The project that I will make my feature film directorial debut on is “Hometown Hero.” We are in the early stages of development. This story is one that I have to tell. It’s …

The gripping story of the demise of a young promising professional football player’s struggles with mental illness resulting from untreated trauma. Mental Illness advocacy is something that I am involved with by getting more narratives out there about cases in order to create awareness.

5. Can you talk a little about the social impact of the films you are creating?

The social impact that I intend to create is awareness and displaying slice of life stories that audiences don’t normally get to see. I want to do it from a new approach that the audience can understand and relate to. We are accustomed to seeing movies that are violent, but we don’t see many films that explore what makes a person violent. Through creating those images, I hope to create conversations that will translate into change, or new ideals of how we view one another, our communities, industries and the world we live in.

6. What is your favorite film and why? Were there any films that influenced you to become a filmmaker?

My favorite film is tough to say because I have so many, but if I could choose two that equally influenced me to be a filmmaker, I would have to say “Bicycle Thieves” directed by Vittorio De Sica (an amazing Italian film), and “The Defiant Ones” directed by Stanley Krammer. Both of these films show humanity among men and their quest for a better life. They are both authentic and intriguing. After seeing these two films, it made me make the conscious decision to be a filmmaker that makes films that tells stories with social issues from real people in real life that leaves a residue with audiences.

I want to tell stories about people who are real and have purpose in what they are seeking or know that they have. In those two films, not only are the characters memorable, but they are people who we all know, no matter if you’re black,white, green or blue. They are depictions of what we face in the world we live in. I could watch those two films everyday.

Once a week for 6 months, I actually did before. It was reassurance that I’m doing the right thing with the films I intend to make.

I have a short film that we produced titled “Perfect Love” directed by Simon Slavoj, which we associate produced. It’s the story of a woman seeking an answer that she’s not ready to really know.

I am also in production of directing and producing a documentary titled, “A Refugee’s Heart” where we follow the journey of a 47-year-old Cuban woman retracing her journey to Cuba for the first time since she left the country at the age of two. She returns back to Cuba to help other young women who are in need.

I am also producing “The Psychiatrist” directed by Bahiyjaui Allen. It’s a suspense thriller short about a twisted relationship between a patient and their psychiatrist.

We’re still developing and raising capital for the “Hometown Hero” movie. It moves slow on some days and fast on others, but meetings and interests are happening.

Extra: Why E. Micheaux? What is that name from?

When I direct, I use the moniker E. Micheaux. It’s homage to Oscar Micheaux who was the first black man to produce, write, direct and distribute his films and books in the 1920’s. I stand on his shoulders, and he is one of my greatest inspirations.

You can find Edwin and his company Edclusive Entertainment at the following places:

While I would normally do a general review of a film, “Testament of Youth” will be a little different because this film hit very close to home for me.

Synopsis – This film is based on the memoir written by Vera Brittain (played by Alicia Vikander from “A Royal Affair”). This young woman’s sole desire was to go to Oxford, just like her brother. Her father wanted her to remain home. As a consolation, while they were out swimming with a friend, her father purchased a piano for her. It was enough money to pay for one year at Oxford.

When she arrived home to discover this, she was angry. As she’s telling her father that she will never marry, not ever in this lifetime, the man she would fall in love with walked into the house. Roland Leighton (played by Kit Harington from “Game of Thrones”).

This was right before World War I began.

Her brother managed to talk their father into letting her take the entry exams at Oxford. SPOILER ALERT: She got in.

As she prepared to go to Oxford with her brother, Roland and friends, the Great War began. All of the boys decided to sign up.

During the summer before the war, Roland and Vera started to fall deeper and deeper in love with each other. When Roland broke the news to her that he had enlisted, it was on the day they should have been heading to Oxford to begin school together.

As more time went on, she decided she had to do something, so she took leave from Oxford to work as a nurse. She started in the hospitals in Britain before later heading to the front.

War changes people. Roland was no exception. He tried to put the walls between them, but she refused to allow him to do it. That was when he proposed to her, promising to marry during his next leave.

SPOILER ALERT: He died. On the day they were to wed, his mother called the hotel to inform her that he had died.

He wasn’t the only one that died in the war. Her brother died, as well as their friend, Victor. She lost all of the people she grew up with and loved to the Great War.

After the war had ended, she became one of the greatest female pacifists in history and a writer.

Close to Home

If I’m going to be honest, I almost got up and left several times. It wasn’t because the film was bad. Quite the contrary. It just hit a little too close to home for me.

Before Roland died, I knew it was coming, because like Vera, those moments of reflection reminded me of having those moments. You remember their skin jutting out from their shirt sleeves, the way their hair tossed in the wind, the way they looked at you, the way they smelled, or the way their heart beat against their chest. You remember how it felt when they touched your skin. You remember that pure, untainted love.

These are the memories that stay with you forever. These are the memories you create with your soulmate. Roland and Vera were soulmates.

There were so many elements to what happened in this story that was just like my life story: the need to know exactly what happened when he died, the writings he left for her, being separated due to choices, being taken away at such a young age. All of these elements to Roland and Vera’s story gave me goosebumps. It made me remember my own soulmate. He killed himself just two weeks before my high school graduation.

You have to learn how to live after your soulmate dies. There was a quote in the movie that stuck with me: “We are all surrounded by ghosts. We just have to learn how to live with them.”

The director really communicated what that loss felt like. There were even moments where Kit Harington (with his clean cut) reminded me of those memories I had made with my soulmate.

For those who have felt that great loss of losing your soulmate, you can begin to understand why she took the stand for humanity…to say no to war. War was what took the people she loved deeply away from her.

Her stand against war was about those who have lost loved ones due to war. It wasn’t about politics. It was about humanity. Each side is sending their fathers, brothers, fiancés and husbands to fight in a war. Each side is losing those very people. Each side feels that loss just as deeply as the other side. Her pacifism was about protecting human lives, not about where those lives came from or whose side they were fighting on.

As each person approaches the end of their life, they’re not talking about killing the enemy. They’re calling out to the people they loved.

I’ve been in Vera’s shoes. I’ve been in them for 20 years now…the part where I’m learning how to live with those ghosts. The end of this movie was very important. It was about remembering and honoring those men she lost. When you lose your soulmate and people you were very close to, you can sometimes be on the brink of insanity. You try to forget them in order to survive another day. There were times where Vera almost completely lost herself in her grief.

Vera’s choice in the end was not to forget them. What she did was take that pain and suffering and turn it into something better. The truth is, the reason why people try so hard to make others happy, or advocate for peace like Vera did, is so that others will not experience the same loss they have gone through. They know what it feels like to be destroyed by that loss. They don’t want other people to experience what they’ve experienced. Even if they put a smile on their face to distract others from seeing their own unhappiness, it’s only in an effort to make sure others never go through what they went through. Some pain and suffering need not be repeated. People will do anything to protect others from experiencing that same suffering. Vera spent her life trying to do just that as a pacifist.

Quotes from Kit Harington (Roland) and James Kent (Director)

Kit Harington speaks to the audience about his new film “Testament of Youth.”

Tribeca – Kit Harington and James Kent stopped by after this special screening to talk about the film on Wednesday night.

“She spoke for a generation, because they were the survivors and they needed that time to have the courage to go, ‘No, no more.’ Hitler was beginning to come to power at that time and there was a real fear that Europe could be sliding into something unsavory. I think [Vera] does speak for the lost generation.”

The reason why Harington worked on “Testament of Youth” was because he had read about it in school and knew the story well.

Kit Harington:

“I knew this text quite well, actually…I studied it at school, both the history and for English literature, studying the war parts. I knew the formidable person Vera Brittain was from her books, from her memoirs. I think that sounds a little bit wishy washy and wanky… Sorry. What I really learned was through Alicia [Vikander’s] depiction of her, I felt it was so accurate, so beautifully done by her that I thought I was talking to that person. In the movie, I thought I was talking to that person, the Brittain I knew very well and loved. That was kind of amazing to experience.”

James Kent:

“I would hope if [Vera Brittain] came back and saw this film, and watched this film in this day and age, in this audience, that she would see a huge difference in who she was.”

Kit Harington:

“One thing that really scares me about my generation is that we are not as active as [Vera] was. Our discussion is a hard one. In some ways, you can argue that we, with social media, have a greater voice. In some ways, it’s completely dumb’ed down. I think, to me, it’s a very important discussion that has to be had. To my shame, I have never been in a political march in my life. I should have done it.”

Kit Harington:

“When I first read [Testament of Youth] in school, it actually triggered a real interest in this period for me. I had already been taken to the the Northern War graves, the French War graves, by my father, kind of a right of passage. I think he thought it was important that me and my brother go and see the consequence of war. There’s no better visual consequence than seeing those graves, those names on the wall. I read it at school and it kicked off a far greater interest about that period, about the literature surrounding that period. So when this came through the door, it was important to me that it was done well. Juliette (Towhidi) actually wrote it. I instantly knew when it was halfway through, it was doing it great justice. She had imagined the scenes around the ones that were in the books. They were written and respectfully done.”

On deciding on Kit to play the role of Roland, James Kent:

“What he has is the X-factor, the extra thing, which is a sort of soulful kind of intelligence, intellectual curiosity…a really soulful practical side. It was so important to get Roland right. If you got him wrong, it diminishes Vera as well. That she chose him and fell in love. She wore those dried flowers that you see that he sent her from the front, around her neck in a locket for the rest of her life. She married and she still had these flowers around her neck.”

James Kent:

“It’s very important to me that at the end of the film, she goes out into that pool of water again, because she’s trying to regain the conversation that she had with Roland in the woods where she says she wants to be a writer. He said that you need some experience first. She goes back to that lake with all that experience and finally by going into the water, it’s a baptism. It’s a renewal. It’s a purging. She can make that promise to the boys. I now got what Roland advised me to get. I can now enshrine your story for generations to come. And that’s exactly what you’ve experienced [with this film].”

Winter film premiere at NYCIFF. (Picture Courtesy of Heidi Greensmith)

Closing out the New York City International Film Festival was the amazing premiere of the film Winter starring Tommy Flanagan, Tom Payne, Judith Godrèche, Jessica Hynes, Bill Milner and Kate Magowan. The film was written and directed by Heidi Greensmith.

The film picked up four awards at NYCIFF, including Best Drama Film, Best International Director (Greensmith) and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tommy Flanagan).

Heidi Greensmith was kind enough to do an exclusive interview for PerfectionistWannabe.com on her film “Winter.”

1. First, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I grew up the second youngest of seven children in the south east of England countryside. I have been making films since I was a teenager. I went to the London Film school and studied cinematography. My first job was as an undercover reporter at a documentary production company. I went on to make music videos and commercials at a London production company. I started writing when I had my first baby. I met my husband drummer Dominic Greensmith shooting a music video for the British rock band Reef. We have been together for 15 years and have 4 children. We live in the Somerset countryside.

2. “Winter” is your first feature film, and the writing is absolutely incredible. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea for this story, as well as the characters? Where did you take inspiration from?

Thank you. I was drawn to explore male grief as I believe men process grief in a different way to women. As they find it harder to talk about how they feel it can lead to feelings of depression and anger. I lost my mother when I was quite young and my father coped very badly which had a lasting affect on all us kids. I have three sons and I believe that this generation of boys should be taught and encouraged to be more open with their feelings. They need to learn that it is entirely acceptable to talk and feel and cry and I hope that Winter will help to shine a spotlight on this.

3. Diving into what was happening in the mind of Woods, can you explain how you were able to dive so deeply into a complete mental breakdown and then bring that character out of that darkness?

I have had personal experience to draw upon so I always knew that Woods would be a broken man that would break my heart. Woods comes out of the darkness with the love of his family and his passion for painting which I can relate to also as I think most artists can.

4. Throughout the movie, you break down a lot of stereotypes where people would easily place judgment on someone. For instance, at the beginning, Woods looks like just a regular homeless man. Yet, he’s not homeless. Then we start to believe that Tom is the child of an abusive, alcoholic father. Yet again, that’s not the real story. Then we start to believe that Woods is a neglectful, abusive parent that can’t take care of himself or his children. Yet, once again, that is not what the story is about. Was there a greater lesson you were trying to teach the viewer (as in, don’t judge a book by its cover)?

Yes I suppose so. Every addict, every homeless person they have all been broken in some way. They are trying to avoid life or numb the pain of their memories. People that find themselves in these unfortunate circumstances need help not judgement.

5. Tommy Flanagan did a phenomenal job as Woods. What made you decide that he was the right person to bring Woods to life?

Casting director Des Hamilton suggested Tommy for the role of Woods. I met with Tommy and within five minutes I knew he was Woods. Tommy had already decided he was playing Woods before we met so it was lucky I felt the same.

(Courtesy of Heidi Greensmith)

6. Flanagan’s scene that sticks out most is when he crouches on the stool in front of the canvas. The camera capturing the different expressions going through Woods’s mind was intriguing, frightening, and ultimately beautiful all at the same time. Can you take us through what you were looking for in that moment?

I think I was after that feeling you get as an artist when you are so involved in what you are doing that you step out of reality, like you are in dream. It can be quite scary. Sometimes when I read a script back I can’t remember writing some bits of it.

7. How did you decide which pieces of artwork would be used? What were the meanings behind the different paintings featured? Who was the artist(s) behind each of the paintings? What happened to the paintings afterward?

I went to a Paul Benney exhibition in London by pure chance. I was blown away because I had already written the script and described some of the paintings that I was looking at in that exhibition! I found Paul there and explained to him. He then read the script, called me up and told me he felt a strong affinity with Woods. So, he allowed me to use his Night Paintings exhibition. The art department got all the paintings replicated so that there was no chance of damaging the originals. You can find all the images on Paul’s website.

8. Tom is the hero of this story. The sacrifices he made to help his father went far above and beyond anything anyone could ask (or not ask) of their child. His understanding of his father’s ‘genius waiting to be unleashed’ and the ‘broken heart’ is something most people would not understand if they were in his shoes, especially at that age. That is what makes his role in this movie so powerful…that love he has for his father. Tom’s story is multi-faceted. Can you describe your development of his character through the writing process? What were the elements you were focused on when you created his part of the story?

I have always found it incredibly heartbreaking, that moment when out of necessity a child becomes the adult in the relationship with his parent. Two of my favourite films are Paris Texas and Paper Moon because of the way the kids have to grow up so fast and develop a whole new relationship dynamic in being the responsible one. I originally wrote Tom and Max much younger but due to our very low budget we couldn’t afford chaperones and reduced working hours minors would require.

9. What are your favorite moments in the film? Do you have any favorite characters?

Obviously I love Woods. Tommy and I have become very good friends since we made the film and we talk about that character with such affection. Old Woodsie. But I love all the other characters too. My favourite scenes are the ice skating scene with Tom and Stacy because you feel so much for Tom right then, just wanting him finally to have a nice time, but at the same time knowing that his dad has gone awol again so it’s super charged, and I love the flashback of Woods walking to the park and finding his dead wife, because you finally get to see the exact moment that his heart broke. Both scenes have the most beautiful score by Dominic too.

10. Can you take us through the timeline of developing “Winter” from start to finish (i.e. how long it took to write the script, create the film, bring it to the screen)?

I wrote the film when I had just had my fourth child. I would write while I was breast feeding at night. It’s really hard making an independent film, working all hours for no money and at the same time trying to dodge the sharks and remain focused and true. We shot Winter all on location in 24 days, edited it in 9 weeks but then it all stopped and lost momentum when the post budget ran out. Thankfully Winter was selected to be the closing night gala film of NYCIFF so everything happened very quickly from then.

11. It is never easy being a working mom, but to be a working mom, wife, writer and a director working on making a dream come true, how were you able to balance everything in order to create Winter?

It’s amazing what I can fit into 24 hours. I have a lot of energy, mental and physical. My husband is always telling me to sit down but I find it impossible. I am so passionate about everything I do that I have to do it full time all the time. I know it can drive the people I work with mad. Sometimes I’ll be writing at midnight or recording music for the score with my husband at 3am. I left home at 16 and have had to work since then, even through film school I had two jobs. I hope I am helping to install a good work ethic in my kids. I think they probably think I’m crazy but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Official Winter poster.

12. There are very few women directors in the industry. NYCIFF showcased several women directors during the festival, including yourself. Can you describe what adversity women are going through in this business? What adversity have you faced to bring your film into being?

I think things have just started to change but for a long time it was very difficult to be taken seriously as a female director and funnily enough I don’t think men were entirely to blame. The most important thing is that things have started to change and I hope that the broadcasters, studios and financiers continue to address the imbalance. The cinema has been dominated by the male voice for too long. I hope that Winter also proves that female writer/director’s can tackle any subject not just subjects relating to women.

13. This site is about people that are out there making their dreams come true. In your own words, can you tell us what bringing this incredible story to the screen means to you?

It means everything to me. All I have ever wanted professionally is to be able to tell a story that moves people. The incredible response the film has had so far is overwhelming, and we’ve only just started!

14. What is coming up in the film’s future? Is there a release date, yet? Is it traveling to any more festivals? Any talks of Oscar considerations? Are there any other projects you are working on that you would like to share?

Winter is at the start of it’s festival run. We are looking at a UK release in the autumn. My next film ‘Bloody Mary’ is in development right now and we have just started casting. It’s a totally different film, dark and very funny with two female protagonists. Very exciting.

If you get the opportunity to see “Winter,” it is a must see film. It is a film that will move your soul. You’ll walk out in complete amazement of Tommy Flanagan’s acting, and with a new perspective on life. What Heidi has created here is something phenomenal. This is the kind of film you will never forget, because of how you grew as a human being during those moments you spent absorbing the film.

There are very few films that come into existence that becomes one of the most important films you need to see in your lifetime. “Winter” from Heidi Greensmith is one of those movies that should be on your list of things to see before you die.

This film premiered as the finale at the New York City International Film Festival. It was adequately placed at the end of the festival because it would have blown all of the other feature films out of the water.

Tommy Flanagan (“Gladiator” and “Sons of Anarchy”) stars in this heart-wrenching tale of a man who has lost his way. The film begins with a drunken man that could easily be mistaken as a homeless man. He’s not homeless, he has a home. It’s his son, who deferred a fellowship with Columbia University for two years, who tries to bring his father out from underneath this gloom that has consumed him.

At first, you may think this film is about an alcoholic father who is abusing his kids and has lost the rights to see his youngest son (who is in foster care). No. That is another mistaken assumption.

This story is about a family who lost a wife and a mother to a very violent crime. It’s the story of a man who is broken and blaming himself for his wife’s death. As a result, he falls into an abyss of mental illness. This artist is trying to get his kid back, and his eldest son is just waiting for his dad to return to normal. He sacrifices so much trying to help his father get back on his feet again.

Heidi Greensmith and Tommy Flanagan win for “Winter.”

The amazing thing about this story is that it teaches you not to judge a book by its cover. This man’s mental illness came about because of grief and regret. His son put it perfectly. His dad was not crazy. His heart was just broken.

It is in this man’s healing that he returns to painting again, but in a whole new light. He’s a different man working out his demons and creates complete and utter genius. His eldest son saw this from the beginning. He saw the man his father truly was. To him, this story is not about an abusive alcoholic father that has fucked everything up for their family. This story is truly about a man that had a broken heart and lost all sense of himself the day his wife died. He just needed time (and help) to find a way out of that grief.

I believe this quote from Lisa See’s “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” adequately describes the journey this man takes out of sorrow.

Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you find peace.

This incredible tale makes you re-evaluate how you look at life and at people who are going through a difficult time in their life. On the surface, we instantly stereotype them as drunks, alcoholics, abusive/neglectful parents, homeless, mentally ill, etc. All of those labels are incorrect. This man is an artist who is waiting for his next inspiration. He’s waiting to discover his own genius that is inside of himself.

Sometimes it takes a life-changing event to discover the genius within. That is the journey this artist was on.

Tommy Flanagan’s role was phenomenal. The way his various emotions were captured on his face…it is a moment of beauty and brilliance. This role opens your eyes to see how incredible of an actor he is. I would say, one of the best in the business after seeing him in this film. He brought his A+ game to this film and his performance is Oscarworthy.

In the story, the eldest son tried his best to keep the family together and help his father at the same time. He is the real hero of the story. The way he saw who his father was deep down inside, most children are not that perceptive. They would have cowered in fear, be mortally wounded with each derogatory word yelled at them. Not this kid. He was just waiting for the genius he saw within his father to emerge. What he was willing to sacrifice for his father to discover that, shows just how much he loved him.

Heidi Greensmith, Director of “Winter.”

Heidi Greensmith has brought this thought-provoking tale to the screen. Most importantly, you need to note that she is a female director. There are very few in the business. She’s also a mother and a wife and despite her other duties, she was able to make something this brilliant.

The film picked up an award for Best Drama Film at NYCIFF. Tommy Flanagan picked up the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Heidi Greensmith picked up the Best International Director award.

Over these past few months I’ve been shifting my financial house in a new direction. I’ve paid off 60% of my debt, maximized savings, maximized my 401k and started budgeting (living by the envelope method). But even though I’m doing what’s best to push my financial dream in a new direction, I’m constantly revising what I’m doing to see if there are better ways of doing things.

So why talk about this on “Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe?” Well, it has more to do with becoming a little bit better at making financial dreams come true. Here are a few things I’ve come across recently that has saved me time, money, and hassles. It’s made my life more convenient and helped me to reach my goals. It’s also helped me to find new places to get a better deal for the things I love most.

BUDGETING

After all the bills are paid, I set aside a certain amount to spend on food, laundry, dry cleaning, eating out and other miscellaneous expenses. It’s from this budget, I have to figure out the best way to get more bang for my buck.

I joined Amazon Prime this year. I am actually grateful that I did because I’m seeing that there are a lot of benefits to this membership. First, I don’t shop in stores often. I shop online. What’s great about Amazon Prime is that I can order the monthly items (like cat food, treats and litter) for a much lower price than I would find at Target. I don’t even have to pay for shipping, because technically, I already did. It cost me $105.93 for a year long membership, but if you divide it up by 12, that’s $8.83/month. If you think about how much it would cost to ship a 20 pound bag of litter plus 2-3 cases of of cat food every month…you’re actually getting a severe bout of savings.

Normally, I’d have to take a cab or an Uber car to/from Target. That’s $30-$40 round trip. If I have it delivered by a grocery delivery service, that’s a $20 delivery fee, plus another $4.95 service charge. If I pick it up at KMart by Madison Square Garden, I’d have to do all the schlepping plus the cost of using public transit to go from Point A to Point B and go up and down a lot of stairs. Amazon has saved me a lot of money, time and hassle just to get these items to my home.

For those who drive, factor in your car payment, insurance and cost for gas for the entire month. Divide the total to how many times you use your car during that month to get a better idea of how much each trip costs you (not to mention the amount of time you spend in the store and traveling to these places).

Prime customers also get access to Prime Pantry where you can fill up a box of groceries for a flat rate of $5.99. I’ve used Prime Pantry for the 20 lb bags of litter and then added in some additional items on the side (they separate the stuff up into 2 internal boxes inside of 1 big box). I also plan on using this to order and ship boxes out to my brother’s platoon. It saves so much time at all of the stores, going to the post office, etc. and it saves me $10 in shipping costs to ship to an APO. Once again, another cost savings.

Another amazing benefit to Prime is that members get access to Prime Instant Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos and 1 Kindle Book a month.

For those who like streaming movies and TV shows at home or on your devices, you’ll have access to hundreds of thousands of movies and programs. It’s unlimited. Netflix and Hulu Plus both start at $7.99/month…and you don’t get access to free shipping on stuff you’re probably ordering from Amazon already.

I also added Kindle Unlimited and Audible memberships to my entertainment budget. I am addicted to the Books with Narration from Kindle Unlimited. You can read the book, but when you have to stop and bookmark it because you have to walk from one place to the next, just switch it to the narration and you can listen to the book while you’re moving. For those who commute, this is an incredible feature. I was able to get through a 246 page book in 2 days. I usually do 1/2 of that just sitting down to read because I have to keep putting the book down. Being able to switch to narration while I’m walking around keeps the book going.

My goal of getting through 52 books this year is more feasible now.

I added Audible as well because it gives me access to more audio books that Kindle Unlimited doesn’t offer. For me, this is mainly for those Book Club books that haven’t become available on Kindle Unlimited yet (or when I want a book that just came out).

I took the suggestion from a fireman friend who suggested I start listening to audio books, especially since I’m having problems getting back into reading. Audio books have been a godsend because I can actually listen to “War and Peace” instead of forcing myself to sit down to read a chapter. Now, I can just listen to it while I’m walking around.

Another great feature from Kindle Unlimited are the reference and self-help books available to customers. While I’m at the office and have some down time, I’ll read books that help with my job. Like this week, I read “Math Made Easy” (which is basically a cheat sheet on how to do math in your head very quickly), and I read a book on Passive Income. Today, I plan on reading a book on organization. Truthfully, these aren’t books I’d spend money on or take time to take out of the library, but make them available to read online and I’m more apt to read them to better myself.

All in all, by using these new services from Amazon, I’m saving a lot of money and time by simplifying my life in many aspects. Sure, I can get library books and DVDs from the library for free, but the convenience of downloading the book I need where I can both read and listen to it? I’ll stick to these two services. [Note: Audible is only for Audio Books. Kindle Unlimited offers the book/narration option, but not all books offer narration.]

For Movie Going Lovers

Another part of my entertainment budget I keep in is Going to the Movies. These days, it’s about $15 a pop. Even more if you want to go to IMAX. There is a solution to this. MoviePass offers a membership for movie going lovers. It’s $34.99/month. You can see 1 movie per day.

Before signing up, I strongly urge you to see if the movie theater you go to takes this membership. For me, I can use it at every movie theater I go to, including the artsy community one across the street from me. These days, it pays for itself in 2 movies a month. I recommend waiting until the summer months to really take advantage (technically May starts the hot Hollywood films of the summer).

In order to get more bang for your buck, sign up for the movie theater’s membership club as well. Those tickets you’re purchasing through Movie Pass can be turned into points which can be turned into money you can use at the movie theater for concessions and even movie tickets (like if you want to see an IMAX film or use the extra ticket for a friend who isn’t a Movie Pass member).

The downside? You can see 1 movie every 24 hours. They are strict on the 24 hours. It used to be that it just reset itself every night (which was perfect)…and then it went strictly 24 hours down to the very last second. Another downside for some is that you can only watch the movie once. You can’t go see the same movie more than once while it is still in the movie theater and use the Movie Pass card.

How does it work? First, you need a smartphone in order to download the app. They’ll send you a Movie Pass credit card that is activated only after you check in to the movie through the app. You can only use it to purchase that 1 movie ticket.

If you go to movies frequently, I highly recommend this. It seriously cuts down the cost for movie lovers who love to go to the movies but don’t go because it’s just ridiculously too expensive these days. If you go to just three movies a month…the membership is more than paid for. If you went to one movie every day, each movie would cost a little over $1 each. It’s $34.99 for me because I’m in NYC. It will be less for people not living in major metropolitan areas.

FOR THE DESIGNER ADDICTS

I have a confession. I’m a bit of an addict when it comes to buying designer accessories. I have a rather large designer handbag collection. A couple of years ago, I decluttered the handbags down to only major designers, getting rid of all of the lesser names. Now, I just buy what I like to add to the handbag collection.

Currently on my radar is the Fendi fur bag bugs (aka Monster) collection. In my search, I came across a site called Tradesy. I took a look around and let’s just say I went on a bit of a spending spree.

I netted a Chanel, Hermes and Dior bag and purchased a pair of Louboutin and Fendi shoes. My friend did a delayed double take when I said, “So I bought an Hermes bag.” She couldn’t believe it, so I showed her my cart and lo and behold, my closet said I purchased an Hermes bag. No, I didn’t spend $20,000 on a birkin. I found a Herbag for $500. That’s half off what you’ll find at other consignment places.

Luckily, they were having a friends and family event, so I was able to take additional money off. You can get $25 off your purchase of $100 or more by using my special link: TRADESY.

P.S. As of right now, The Outnet is having their semi-annual clearance sale. This is a great time for fashionistas to stock up on all their favorite designers for up to 80% off the retail price. [My major score were a pair of Adidas by Stella McCartney ballet flats for $18. After all was said and done, I’d saved $2,286.75 on my entire order. That’s some serious savings.]

Also, for designer addicts that frequent Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom…trust me when I say you can get your coveted designer accessory for less. For instance, the Fendi monster tote bag is $1500 at Saks. That same bag is $999 at Overstock.com. The exact same bag. {Also, if you’re a Club O member, you can earn rewards from your purchases. I’ve been able to score free Fendi sunglasses thanks to all of the reward dollars I earned from shopping at Overstock.com.}

Other places you should look: Century 21 shops (they have an online store), TJMaxx (yes, they are finally online), Loehmann’s (they may have closed all of their stores, but that’s because they went e-commerce) and Modnique. I’ve found that a lot of these shops have the same merchandise, but you never know if they’ll have a special sale on top of their already discounted prices.

The book is a quick read, so I highly recommend taking a look at it just to get your brain moving in a direction of earning passive income (I don’t recommend doing what he suggests, but it’s worth a read to understand what you can do to grow passive income) [it’s a free read with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited].

I want to touch on the Education part. This is why I recommend Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited…he suggests putting away 10% of your income to the education fund. I never put 10% away to an education fund mainly because I already had my schooling and frankly don’t have time to do continuing education courses. I also don’t have kids, so really, this was an account I could do without.

I started to think about it and then realized just how much money I’m saving by using the Kindle Unlimited membership, especially if I take the membership fee from the Education account. During the day, I’m pulling up books that will better myself. I even have books written by scientists discussing their various theories. There are even books on Photoshop, photography, etc. that I can read during the day. In other words, Kindle Unlimited has opened the door to a world filled with resources where I can better educate myself.

I spent a lot of time on Wednesday doing math problems just to jog my memory of how to do math in my head. I’m glad I did, because it forced me to re-memorize addition and multiplication tables (something that I had forgotten post-op). By really diving into complex math equations I started looking at the equations and answering them in my head in half the ‘short steps’ the author was suggesting. To me, this meant that math was back in my head again.

In other words, sometimes you just have to challenge yourself, especially when it comes to forgetting how to do things that are as important as math.

There are so many things out there to learn. That was the point of the Education account. You have to constantly challenge and better yourself. If you don’t, you won’t be able to command good salaries or keep working. After all, I’ve seen what happens to people that didn’t learn how to use a computer. They’re barely making it. You never want to be left behind, so continuously better yourself through education. It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.

Who knows? By all the money I save in the Education account, maybe I can just use it towards an educational trip or an archaeological dig somewhere.

Just something to think about…but I highly recommend reading the Passive Income book. It will give you a new idea on how to budget yourself in order to earn income, and take a hard look at how you’re living. Re-doing the way you do your budget is interesting. It’s the 50-30-20 lifestyle, but that 30-20 is changed to 30% savings and 20% doing whatever you want with the money. Previously, it was vice versa. You’d save 20% and use 30% to do whatever. Personally, I like this new take on budgeting. What he shows you is how to use 10% of that 30% towards increasing your passive income…that’s what makes it worth the read.

Ok, everybody..don’t kill me for asking this, but I need some help with a summer project I’m working on.

I’ve enlisted a couple of friends to help me, but I thought I would see if by posting something this would get more responses.

I was Googling the ‘greatest love stories of all time’ and came back with ‘Wuthering Heights’ as number one. Of course, I’m sitting there thinking…WHAT? That’s got to be the absolute worst book of all time. I wouldn’t even call it a love story. Love turning into evil…that’s not a true love story. Why in the world would some great library say that love turning into evil is the greatest love story of all time?

What books/movies inspired you and made you think that love was worth it all? Or books/movies that made you sigh thinking…WOW…

You can post the comment here or email me at: msmichellekenneth@yahoo.com.

And guys…come on, there’s got to be a good one out there for you. My brother swears by “Notting Hill.” Well, at least the soundtrack. 😉 And right after I wrote that…my brother calls me to ask me if he sounds like he’s high when he talks on the phone. Brothers…